How to Prevent and Remove Algae

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How to Prevent and Remove Algae

• by Christine Bennett

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Part I Requirements and Balance
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Part I Requirements and Balance

• Caveats
• Three Components
• Vascular vs. Non-Vascular
• Tank Type
• Balance Bringing it all Together

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Part I - Caveats

• Everyones tank is different
• Many variables even though closed system
• Based on conventional wisdom and what has worked
  for me

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Part I - Caveats

• Everyones tank is different
• Many variables even though closed system
• Based on conventional wisdom and what has worked
  for me
• Im an algae-grower too!

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Part I Three Components

• The three necessary components to healthy and
  balanced planted aquaria are
• Lights
• Nutrients
• Carbon/CO2

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Part I Three Components

• Light ENERGY!
• Energy is the force that allows plants to use
  nutrients and carbon to make plant matter
• Too much or too little light in relation to other
  components causes algae poor plant growth
• Also consider things like reflectors, light
  color, size of tank, etc.

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Part I Three Components

• Nutrients (food)
• Macros nitrogen, phosphate, potassium
• Traces (everything else) includes cobalt, zinc,
  mangenese, boron, iron, etc.
• Stem plants tend to pull nutrients from the
  water column, root plants from the substrate
• Fish-only tanks get nitrogen from fish waste,
  phosphate from fish food, traces from tap

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Part I Three Components

• Carbon the most over-looked nutrient!
• Plants also need carbon to make up their
  structure (in gas form it is called CO2 )
• CO2 in the air is not enough for planted tanks,
  difficult for CO2 to diffuse into water (2-5 ppm
  from air, goal is 15-30ppm)
• Fish-only tanks dont worry about carbon

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CO2 Chart

• By cross referencing your KH and pH values in the
  table below you can quickly find out the CO2
  concentration in your tank. If your test kit
  gives KH result as mg/L (ppm) multiply that times
  0.056 to get KH

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Degas Method

• Alternate method to measure CO2
• Place some tank water into a cup.
• Measure the pH.
• Let sit uncovered for 24 hours.
• Measure the pH.
• The difference between the two pH values will
  show the CO2 level
• 0.5 difference 15 ppm
• 1.0 difference 30 ppm
• Example
• pH 7.2 ? 6.2 30 ppm
• pH 6.8 ? 6.3 15 ppm

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Part I Vascular vs. Non-Vascular

• With a few exceptions like Pellia (wort-types)
  and some mosses, vascular plants are what we
  think of as Plants
• Non-vascular plants are what we think of as
  Algae
• Algae are plants too!

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Part I Vascular vs. Non-Vascular

• Vascular means they have veins. This refers
  to plant structure which includes
• Stems (transport)
• Roots (food storage, nutrient absorption)
• Leaves (photosynthesis)

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Part I Vascular vs. Non-Vascular

• Since vascular plants have all these complex
  structures, they can be extremely efficient when
  they get everything they need!
• (Some plants can grow more than an inch a day
  when theyre happy)
• So what happens when they dont get everything
  they need?

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Part I Vascular vs. Non-Vascular

• Since non-vascular plants (algae) dont have
  complex structures and are often very tiny (one
  cell, a few cells), they can take advantage and
  fill the niche that exists in less-optimum
  conditions
• In other words, not enough of something for a big
  ole plant? Itll be enough for algae.

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Pearling
http//www.imagestation.com/3149817/4177405126
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Pearling
http//www.imagestation.com/3149817/4177404713
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Part I Tank Type

• The configuration of your tank tells you how you
  should maintain it
• Its easy to figure out what you need for proper
  balance once you consider what you have

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Part I Tank Type

• Low Light (0 1.9 wpg)
• Fish-only tanks are the ultimate low light tank!
• Only a few plants will be really happy
• Anubias, java fern, crypts, mosses, swords
• Little or no Carbon is needed
• Slow growth, slow maintenance

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Part I Tank Type

• Medium Light (2.0 2.9 wpg)
• Most plants will grow well
• Carbon is needed may need to add nutrients
• Growth is not too fast, not too slow

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Part I Tank Type

• High Light (3.0 wpg)
• Some low-light plants will not be happy
• A lot of Carbon and nutrients will be needed
• Fast growth, lots of maintenance needed

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Part I Tank Type

• Low Light, High Light tanks are also known as
  Low-Tech and High-Tech due to the amount of
  equipment you have to buy.
• Better to think of it as Low Maintenance and High
  Maintenance due to the amount of work needed.
• (Be realistic about what you want and the
  amount of work youre willing to do)

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Part I Tank Type

• Keep in mind that light levels are all
  relative
• you need more wpg on small tanks
• less wpg on very big tanks.

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Part I - Balance

• Bringing It All Together
• more light more CO2 more nutrients
• less light less CO2 less nutrients
  

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Part I - Balance

• Bringing It All Together
• more light more CO2 more nutrients
• less light less CO2 less nutrients
  

Out of balance ALGAE!!!
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Part II Algae and Friends
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Part II Algae and Friends

• Algae
• Black Beard Algae
• Cladophora
• Green Dust Algae
• Green Spot Algae
• Green Water
• Hair/Fuzz Algae
• Staghorn Algae
• String Algae

• Friends
• Blue Green Algae
• Diatoms/Brown Algae
• Hydra
• Milky/Cloudy Water

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Part II - Algae

• Black Beard Algae (BBA)
• Look Black pompoms, peppering or edging
• Cause lack of Carbon or unstable Carbon levels
  in Carbon-marginal tanks
• Prevent add more Carbon, check dissolution
  method is working (circulation enough?)
• Fix trim all leaves with heavy BBA, can use
  Excel or H2O2 on rocks, wood, leaves

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Black Beard Algae (BBA)
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Black Beard Algae (BBA)
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Part II - Algae

• Cladophora
• Look bright green tufts/mats, slow-growing, has
  rough texture, is heavily branched
• Cause low nitrate, low Carbon
• Prevent water changes
• Fix manually remove as much as possible, use
  spot treatments of Excel or H2O2 to kill it
• Marimo balls are a type of cladophora species

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Cladophora Algae
Photo by Ryzilla from www.plantedtank.net
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Cladophora Algae
Photo by Ryzilla from www.plantedtank.net
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Part II - Algae

• Green Dust Algae (GDA)
• Look green haze on surfaces, easy to wipe off
• Cause GDA spores present
• Prevent unknown
• Fix DO NOT wipe off, let it go through its
  natural life cycle. Once it turns brown, wipe
  off and do a large water change
• Life cycle can take 10 days to 3 weeks long

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Green Dust Algae (GDA)
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Part II - Algae

• Green Spot Algae (GSA)
• Look green spots on surfaces, hard to remove
• Cause lack of phosphate
• Prevent add more phosphate
• Fix Scrub, scrub, scrub! Some snails and algae
  eating fish may eat some of it but wont control
  an out of balance tank. Then add the phosphate

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Green Spot Algae (GSA)
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Part II - Algae

• Green Water (GW)
• Look pea soup water to slight cloudiness
• Cause ammonia plus high light levels
• Prevent dont disturb substrate (W/C) or bio
  filter, cut down on lights and/or add ferts and
  plants
• Fix if causes are removed GW will naturally die
  out, add ferts and plants. Water changes will
  prolong GW outbreak. Diatom filters and UVs
  will kill GW.
• Very common on new tanks, rare for established
  tanks
• Green water common in ponds in Summer when high
  light

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Green Water
Photo by Bristles from www.plantedtank.com
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Part II - Algae

• Hair/Fuzz Algae
• Look very short green hairs on surfaces
• Cause excess nutrients ( excess silicates?)
• Prevent add less nutrients, do waterchanges
• Fix some shrimp and algae eating fish will eat
  Hair Algae but wont make a dent in an out of
  balance tank. Kill with Excel/H2O2 spot
  treatments
• Its not branched like cladophora
• Is some nutrient limited so ferts build up
  instead of being used?

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Hair Algae
Photo by Stephen G. Colley from
www.plantedtank.net
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Hair Algae
Photo by Stephen G. Colley from
www.plantedtank.net
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Part II - Algae

• Staghorn Algae
• Look Grayish strands, many branches, rough
• Cause ammonia and low Carbon
• Prevent add carbon, make sure biofilter working
• Fix manually remove as much as possible, can use
  Excel to spot treat, make circulation ok

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Staghorn Algae
Photo by Kristin Mims from www.plantedtank.net
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Staghorn Algae
Photo by fishnfst1 from www.plantedtank.net
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Part II - Algae

• String/Thread Algae
• Look long strands of bright green algae
• Cause excess nutrients, often seen in ponds in
  Spring before bio filter and plants kick in
• Prevent Make sure bio filter is working, add
  mulm from established tank or BioSpira.
• Fix easy to manually remove
• Seems to appear more in high-current areas

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String/Thread Algae
Photo by daveonbass from www.plantedtank.net
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Part II - Friends

• Blue Green Algae (BGA)
• Look blue-green slime, like jello, sheets of BGA
• Cause lack of nitrates, may also have organic
  build-up
• Prevent add nitrate to tank, is circulation ok?
• Fix actually a bacteria with the ability to
  photosynthesize. You can do a three-day tank
  blackout or use erythromycin antibiotics and then
  vacuum thoroughly.

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Blue Green Algae (BGA)
http//www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm
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Part II - Friends

• Diatoms/Brown Algae
• Look brown film on surfaces, especially gravel
• Cause excess silicates (new tank), low light
• Prevent watch silicon levels, increase light,
  wait
• Fix diatoms will die off when silicates are used
  up in new tank, otocinclus and other catfish LOVE
  diatoms!

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Diatoms (Brown Algae)
Photo by mikey from www.plantedtank.com
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Diatoms (Brown Algae)
Photo by Steven Chong from www.plantedtank.net
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Part II - Friends

• Hydra (Coelenterata)
• Look animal with tentacles thats related to
  anemones, grows on surfaces, can catch fry
• Cause introduced with live food
• Prevent is live food clean, from good source?
• Fix gouramis will eat them, methylene green,
  flubendazole, salt, 40C for five minutes, H202,
  mystery snails
• Will only live in excellent quality water, so
  dont feel bad

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Hydra
Photo by Jdinh04 from www.plantedtank.net
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Hydra
Photo by uncskainch from www.plantedtank.net
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Part II - Friends

• Milky/Cloudy Water
• Look white cloudiness
• Cause beneficial bacteria bloom, new tank cycle,
  damaged bio filter, add fish to tank
• Prevent always protect bio filter, add fish
  slowly to tank
• Fix DONT! This is a good thing, keep an eye on
  ammonia and nitrite levels
• check to see if Milky or Green Water by putting
  some tank water in white cup, if its greenish
  then you know it is Green Water

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Milky/Cloudy Algae
Photo by Nightshop from www.plantedtank.com
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Sources

• The Planted Tank Forum
• SFBAAPS Forum
• Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA)
• The Tom Barr Report
• The Krib
• Rexs Guide to Planted Tanks
• Greg Watson Aquarium Fertilizer
• Seachem Laboratories
• Ecology of the Planted Aquarium (Walstad)
• Aquarium Plants (Kasselman)
• Nature Aquarium World (Amano)

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The End